Orlando Evans 50, East Lee 28: East Lee offense struggles vs. Evans

Jaguars shoot just 21 percent from field.

Dec. 23, 2012

Written by

Carl Bleich

Special to The News-Press

The rims at the John J. Nevins Gymnasium were unkind to City of Palms Classic newcomer East Lee County on Saturday.

The Jaguars, making their first appearance in the tournament, struggled with Orlando Evans’ pressure defense and lost to the Trojans 50-28 in a Sunshine Series game at Bishop Verot.

East (7-4) shot 21 percent from the field and had more turnovers (14) than made baskets (10).

“I thought we played pretty well in the first half, but we just couldn’t buy a basket,” East Lee coach Justin Woodcox said. “They played pretty tough defense. I thought our kids played pretty well, but we just couldn’t hit shots.”

A dunk by East’s Gerard Tarin early in the fourth quarter trimmed Evans’ lead to 29-21, but the Trojans went on a 9-0 run over the next two minutes of play to take control of the game.

Evans, coached by former Orlando Magic point guard Chucky Atkins, mixed in a variety of zone defenses that stymied the Jaguars.

“This was a good win for us,” Atkins said. “We’re a man-to-man team, but we figured they weren’t really that great at shooting from the perimeter so we stayed in a zone so we didn’t have to chase them around out there.”

Malik Smith led all scorers with 19 points for the Trojans (8-2). Winfred Ward led East Lee County with 11 points.

The Jaguars were 7-of-16 at the free throw line.

“We missed a lot of free throws,” Woodcox said. “We’re a young school so (playing in the Classic) was big for us. When you don’t hit shots it starts to grind on you. Overall, I thought the kids did well.”